Automatic door seal



July 18, 1967 v. R. FRAKES 3,331,158

AUTOMATIC DOOR SEAL Filed April 26, 1965 Vernon R. Frakes IN VENTOR.

/ Anamg's United States Patent 3,331,158 Patented July 18,- 1967 time 3,331,158 AUTOMATIC DOOR SEAL Vernon R. Frakes, Luverue, Minn., assignor of one-third to Louis Laackmann and one-third to Vernon Buns, both of Luverne, Minn.

Filed Apr. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 450,672 1 Claim. (Cl. 49310) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A seal assembly for vertically movable doors in which a vertical sealing member is downwardly displaced by the door as it approaches a closed position causing the sealing member to be moved from a retracted position into sealing engagement with the door.

This invention relates to the weather sealing of closure members that are track mounted for vertical displacement to a closed position such as overhead garage doors.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide facilities for automatically sealing closure members of the aforementioned type when brought to a position closing an enlarged opening.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide an automatic closure sealing assembly which is reliable in operation because of the protective enclosure of all of the operating parts thereof.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side sectional view through a typical closure installation within which the sealing assembly of the present invention is mounted.

FIGURE 2 is a partial side sectional view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the sealing assembly in its closure sealing position.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken sub stantially through a plane indicated by section line 33 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a partial perspective view of the disassembled parts of the sealing assembly.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that the sealing assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 10, is associated with a closure member 11 of the pivotally connected sectional type adapted to be slidably mounted by rollers 14 for movement along a track 12. The track 12 is therefore mounted within the building structure rearwardly of the opening to be closed by the closure member 11 so that the closure member may be moved between a vertical position closing the opening framed by a structural member such as the vertical jambs 18 as more clearly seen in FIGURE 3, and the open position in which the closure member is horizontally stored above and rearwardly of the opening. Closure assemblies of this type are well-known. This type of closure assembly, however, presents a problem with regard to weather sealing because of the considerable length of sealing strip required and the amount of sliding friction involved which subjects the sealing strip to rapid wear. In accordance with the present invention therefore, sealing assemblies are mounted on both of the vertical framing surfaces for the closure opening, each of the closure assemblies being ordinarily spaced from the adjacent surface of the closure member 11 until they are actuated by the lower edge 15 of the closure member as it approaches the floor 17 as shown in FIGURE 1. Sealing engagement with the closure member is thereby obtained when the closure member has reached its closed position as shown in FIGURE 2.

Each of the closure assemblies 10 has all of the operating parts thereof enclosed within a vertically elongated enclosure member 16 which is formed by a relatively narrow and deep channel section which opens along one vertical edge of the enclosure member in close spaced relation to the closure member 11 as shown in FIGURE 3. Accordingly, one leg of the channel member is secured in any suitable fashion to the vertical framing surface of the closure opening extending from the floor 17 upwardly to the overhead framing member. Movably mounted within the channel member 16 between the side walls thereof, is an elongated, rigid slide member 20 which is also formed from a channel section. The slide member 20 is so positioned however relative to the channel enclosure member 16 that the bottom wall 21 of the channel section is exposed therefrom and mounts on the outside thereof, a vertically elongated sealing strip 22 made of a suitable weather-stripping material. Accordingly, the slide member 20 is adapted to be displaced toward the surface of the closure member 11 so that the sealing strip 22 may engage it in order to seal the opening closed by the closure member.

The slide member 20 is guidingly mounted for movement between a completely retracted position within the channel member 16 as shown by solid lines in FIGURE 3 to an extended position as shown by dotted line in FIGURE 3, wherein the sealing strip 22 engages the closure member. A plurality of linkage lever elements 26 are therefore pivotally mounted by pivot bolts 28 in vertically spaced relation within the channel member 16 adjacent to the connecting wall 27. The lever elements 26 extend into the slide member 20 and are pivotally connected thereto by the pivot bolts 30. Accordingly, sleeve members are welded to opposite ends of the lever elements 26 through which the pivot bolts 28 and 30 extend. It will therefore be apparent, that the slide member 20 upon downward displacement, will move from its pletely retracted position in a horizontal direction to its extended position, Downward displacement of the slide member is therefore effected by means of an actuating tab element 24 connected to the lower end of the slide member and projecting therefrom in spaced relation to the channel member so that the element 24 may be engaged only by the lower edge 15 of the closure member 11 as it approaches its closed position. The actuating element will therefore transmit downward force unimpeded to the slide member moving inwardly therewith toward the position shown in FIGURE 2 to insure continued full transmittal of downward force to the slide member and uniform engagement with the closure member throughout the length of the sealing strip.

Connected to each of the lever elements 26 adjacent the connecting bolt 30, is a spring element 32, the opposite end of which is anchored to the wall 27 vertically spaced above the associated pivot bolt 28. Accordingly, the slide member 20 is continuously biased to its completely retracted position by the spring elements 32 so that the actuating element 24 will be disposed in spaced relation above the floor 17 in position for engagement by the closure member when it approaches its closed position. A plurality of spacer elements 38 are mounted within the channel member 16 by the bolts 40 in positions engaging the edges of the slide member 20 in order to limit movement of the slide member to its retracted position under the bias of the spring elements 32.

From the foregoing description, the construction, installation and utility of the automatic closure sealing assemblies of the present invention will be apparent. It will therefore be appreciated, that installation of the sealing COIII- assemblies may be effected by simply securing the channel member 16 to the vertical framing surfaces of the closure opening closely spaced forwardly of the closure member 11 so that when the slide member 20 is displaced to its extended position, the sealing strip 22 will uniformly engage the closure member throughout its length. Further, since all of the operating parts of the sealing assemblies are enclosed within the channel member 16 by the slide member, reliable operation of the sealing assembly is assured in view of the protective enclosure of the operating parts.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In combination with a track mounted closure slidably displaced to a position closing an opening, a closure sealing assembly mounted on a surface framing said opening comprising, an elongated channel member secured to said framing surface in parallel spaced relation to said closure in the closed position thereof, a rigid slide member having a lower edge, linkage means mounted within the channel member and enclosed therein by the slide member for guiding displacement of the slide member between a raised, horizontally retracted position and a lowered, horizontally extended position relative to the channel member, spring means enclosed within the channel member and connected to the linkage means for yieldably holding the slide member in said retracted position, actuating means connected to said lower edge of the slide member in spaced relation to the channel member for engagement by the closure to displace the slide member to said extended position in response to approach of the closure to the closed position, elongated sealing means mounted on the slide member for engagement with the closure in the extended position of the slide member, said channel member having sides constraining movement of the slide member between said retracted and extended position, said linkage means comprising a plurality of vertically spaced lever elements pivotally mounted within the channel member and connected to the slide member for support thereof in a vertical position, said spring means including spring elements connected to the lever elements biasing the slide member to the retracted position spaced above the floor, sai dactuating means projecting from said lower edge of the slide member for engagement by a lower end of the closure to downwarly displace the slide member, and spacer elements spacing said sides of the channel member and engageable with the slide member to limit displacement thereof by the spring means to the retracted position, said spacer elements being connected to the channel member in vertical alignment with each other intermediate the lever elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, KENNETH DOWNEY,

Examiners.

A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner. 

